The Development and Psychometric Characteristics of the “Virtual Identity of Social Media Users” Test

Introduction Modern society is characterized by the widespread use of social media, which provides users with communication, leisure, work, and study opportunities. With the growth of such opportunities, more time is being spent online. These circumstances explain why we developed a test entitled the Virtual Identity of Social Media Users (VISCMU). Objective To develop and test the psychometric characteristics of the VISMU test. Design The research methods included theoretical analysis, modeling, expert assessments, questionnaires, and statistical analysis. The research sample was comprised of 285 users of VKontakte and other social media. Results The results of factor analysis proved the acceptability of the three scales identified in the test. Expert assessments showed that the test had sufficient face and content validity. The scales were characterized by optimal indicators of internal consistency, homogeneity, and discriminatory power. The test-retest reliability values demonstrated that the test indicators were stable. Statistically significant differences in the parameter measuring virtual identity in groups with different levels of success in adult life justified a sufficient level of criterion validity. The correlation between the test scales and the components of the factor structure of the modified test “Who am I online?” indicated its compliance with construct validity norms. Positive connections between virtual identity and Internet addiction, smartphone addiction, aggressiveness, hostility, and negative relationships with vitality, indicated sufficient convergent validity. The test has been standardized and specified. Conclusion The test was aimed at measuring the extent to which a person’s virtual identity would reveal the specific characteristics of its impact on the individual’s personal development.


Introduction
Modern life is di cult without the use of the Internet. Since the 1990s, a new virtual socio-cultural space has formed, characterized by wide access to various sources of information. Information openness is becoming one of the de ning vectors of social development (Norman, 2017).
Various digital devices mediate mental functions as cultural tools, which leads to the appearance of new activities, the transformation of social interactions, and the formation of new cultural practices. An individual socializing in a digitalized world acquires social experience in online contexts, which leads to people forming a digital persona as part of their personality pro le (Soldatova & Rasskazova, 2020).
Currently, social media are one of the most popular online Internet services (Yudina, 2015). ese resources are characterized by almost unlimited possibilities: they allow people to communicate and to organize leisure, learning, and work. e massive spread of the Internet in general, and social media in particular, is increasing the time users spend online (Chen, 2013;McNicol & orsteinsson, 2017). e current situation, along with the increasing importance of the virtual environment, threatens to reduce the adaptability of individuals to real life and has led to the formation of a special type of ego identity -the virtual identity of social media users (Soldatova & Pogorelov, 2018).
Parents, teachers, and psychologists are alarmed by the increase in the time children and teenagers spend on social media, and the increase in the severity of Internet addictions, especially the need to actively get information from the Internet for educational purposes (Park & Sun, 2017). e global COVID-19 pandemic has also increased the use of the Internet by older generations, which has resulted in the transformation of the subculture of this environment (Chen, Pakpour & Leung, 2020).
Ego identity can be interpreted as the identity and integrity of the personality, the continuity of the "I" in the transformations taking place during personal growth and development (Erickson, 1996). e formation of ego identity is based on generalized childhood identi cations, the system of norms and values assimilated by the personality, the attitudes of society, and the expectations and requirements of the peer environment. During the development of consciousness, a person generalizes the experience of past events, which underlies the formation of their system of goals, values, and attitudes. In this context, an increase in the need to reference the virtual space of social media is fraught with the potential for the formation of Internet addiction and decreasing interest in the development of real personal qualities (Moreno, 2019). is subsystem of ego identity-the virtual identity of social media users-dup licates the real identity in virtual space, acting as a modi cation of the image of the real self. e virtual identity of social media users is compiled from the standardized interface components of the virtual world, aimed at self-presentation on the Internet, and re ects the integrity and identity of the personality in virtual space (Asmolov & Asmolov, 2010). e analysis of domestic and foreign studies on the problem of virtual identity served as the basis for our development of a conceptual model of the virtual identity of social network users. e virtual identity structure has three components. e rst of them, "cyberaddiction, " re ects the individual's level of reference to social networks, as well as the emergence of addictive tendencies with excessive use of social networks (Kochetkov, 2020;Kuss, 2021;Rajesh & Rangaiah, 2020). e main prerequisite for the development of cyberaddiction is the incomplete resolution of age-related crises, which manifests itself in the development of an identity crisis. e Internet environment is attractive for resolving this crisis since it allows the user to construct a desired reality in it. Unresolved problems of aging, which serve as criteria-based grounds for the formation of an alternative to a person's real identity, indicate a lack of human vitality and actualize various kinds of dependencies, including, probably, cyberaddiction. Virtual "friends, " "likes, " and "posts" are becoming more valuable than communication in a real environment, which re ects the high reference of social networks. Moreover, cyberaddiction is characterized by an increase in tendencies for aimless activity on the Web. e second component, "acceptance of subculture, " characterizes the degree of approval by the individual of the speci c norms adopted in virtual communities (Kurbatov, Volkov, & Vodenko, 2019;Senchenko, 2016). e virtual personality creates a new virtual culture, which becomes part of the culture as a whole. New forms of mass collective behavior of users on social networks act as a kind of electronic frontier on which users can oppose traditional reality that does not suit them for reasons of justice, morality, order, and values. e most striking manifestation of the subculture of social network users is the potential for user anonymity , which does not require providing true personal data on social networks, and thus reduces moral barriers in communication, and permits manifestations of aggressiveness, including cyberbullying. It is also impossible not to note the ratio of obscene vocabulary, images of a "beautiful life," and tolerance for punctuation and grammatical errors. e third component, "virtual image, " re ects a complex representation of the individual's physical and psychological properties as projected in virtual space, as well as the possibilities and advantages of communication in social networks (Luchinkina, 2016;Zekeryaev, 2019). is image has no real content, but consists solely of signs-symbols, including the physical and psychological properties of the individual, and actions unfolding within the framework of Internet communication. Since the user is not physically present in the virtual space of social networks, his actions can be implemented exclusively through virtual communication.
e foregoing determines the importance of adequately measuring the virtual identity of social media users. However, since this phenomenon is new and insufciently studied, there are no special psycho-diagnostic tools for studying aspects of virtual identity. Such a tool could aid in preventing excessive Internet use and solving the problem of the negative impact of Internet content on personal development and interpersonal interaction of people of all ages. e purpose of our study was to develop and test the psychometric characteristics of the Virtual Identity of Social Media Users (VISMU) test by: 1. Conceptually justifying and developing the structure of the VISMU test to measure the virtual identity of social media users.
2. Checking the main psychometric characteristics of the test: face and content validity, reliability, homogeneity, discriminatory power, and criterion and construct validity. 3. Standardizing the VISMU test. 4. Giving a descriptive specification of the test.

Method
Our research was based on the methods of theoretical analysis, synthesis and generalization, induction and deduction, modeling, expert evaluation, and questionnaires. Descriptive statistics, factor analysis (principal component analysis (PCA) followed by Varimax rotation), Kendall's W, Cronbach's α, Spearman-Brown's rt, Ferguson's σ, Pearson's r, Mann-Whitney's U, Kolmogorov-Smirnov's d, and Student's t criteria were used for mathematical processing of the data. e results were processed using the IBM SPSS Statistics v. 26.0 and MS Excel statistical analysis suites.

Participants
e research sample was comprised of 285 users of VKontakte and other social media, age 18 to 72 (X = 37.49, SD = 13.61). e sample involved 197 women (69.1%) and 88 men (30.9%), including university students, and representatives of the blue and white collar professions. e procedures of factor analysis and veri cation of the psychometric characteristics of the test were carried out on this sample.
To con rm the criterion validity, a content analysis of the pages of users of an additional sample (N = 30) on VKontakte and other social media was carried out.
is type of validity is based on comparing test indicators with data obtained on the basis of objective (external) criteria. Such criteria can be success in adult life, such as personal and professional self-determination, creating a family, and performing pro-social activities (Ananiev, 2001). e rst group (N = 15) included subjects who currently had no families, had no job, showed signs of alcoholism, or use obscene language. e second group (N = 15) included subjects who created families, had a profession, and showed no signs of obscene language, deviant, or aggressive behavior. e test was standardized using an аdditional sample of 495 people, including 231 men (46.7%) and 264 women (53.3%), age 18 to 57 (X = 34, 96, SD = 10.35). e sample included students in secondary and higher educational institutions, teaching sta (educators and heads of preschool educational institutions, teachers and headmasters, and lecturers at secondary and higher educational institutions), representatives of business (individual entrepreneurs), service professionals (cleaners, storekeepers, drivers), and the unemployed. In this regard, we can consider this sample to be representative. e data was collected and processed between 2017 and 2021.

Procedure
During the rst stage, using theoretical analysis, we developed a conceptual model of the structure of the virtual identity of social media users, which included three components: Cyberaddiction (CA), Acceptance of Subculture (AS), and Virtual Im-age (VI) . In the second stage, we selected methods to diagnose each of the identi ed structural components, formed a data base for the research, and developed test statements (initially 103 items). e third stage included factor analysis, for which we selected the questions with the maximum factor load. We then veri ed the face and content validity of the VISMU test. As a result, we formed a version of the VISMU methodology which includes 43 items and the three scales: CA, AS, and VI. Further, we determined the psychometric characteristics of the VISMU test (internal consistency, test-retest reliability, criterion and construct validity), and standardization, taking into account that women and men do not di er in the structural components of their virtual identity; however, we found and took age di erences into account.

Results
A conceptual model of the virtual identity of social media users. e conceptual foundations for the development of the VISMU test are the understanding of virtual identity as an integral phenomenon, which is a subsystem of ego identity coexisting with the structure of real identity, consisting of the textual, visual, and audio characteristics of a virtual image, and re ecting the physical and psychological properties and communication features which determine the integrity and identity of the personality within the subculture of social media users . Virtual identity is understood from the standpoint of the relationship between the concepts of ego identity and vitality at two points of contact: normative crises and life tasks (Rylskaya, 2005;Soldatova, 2005). To prepare the test, we used the technology developed by Baturin, which has been actively used by representatives of the Chelyabinsk School of Psychology (Baturin & Melnikova, 2009). We described the conceptual model of the virtual identity of social media users in our previous publications (Pogorelov, 2020;. In characterizing virtual identity, we distinguished the three components. 1. Cyberaddiction (CA) is considered an obsessive desire to use the Internet or to spend much time on the Internet (Kochetkov, 2020;Kuss, 2021;Rajesh & Rangaiah, 2020). 2. Acceptance of Subculture (SA) is the degree of a person's approval of the special norms, rules, and values characteristic of the virtual space of social media (Kurbatov, Volkov & Vodenko, 2019;Senchenko, 2016). 3. Virtual Image (VI) ensures the integrity and identity of the personality in the social media space and reflects the desired image of its creator (Luchinkina, 2016;Zekeryaev, 2019).
According to this conceptual model of the virtual identity of social media users, we created a databank for the development of test statements. e bases for the test design were the scales of standardized psycho-diagnostic techniques (Lee and Quigley's scale for measuring self-presentation tactics; omas' questionnaire "Style of behavior in con ict;" Sukhikh and Korytchenkova's test of the moral and ethical characteristics of a person and the level of their psychoethical development; Mikhelson's communication skills test; Morosanova's questionnaire "Behavioral self-regulation style;" and the method for diagnosing addictive identity developed by Dmitrieva, Perevozkina, Perevozkina, and Samoilik). When formulating the test statements, we both used separate items to diagnose the components of the structure of virtual identity, and developed new items; this was to ensure that the phenomenon of the virtual identity of social media users was taken into account as precisely as possible. As a result, we compiled 103 items for the original version of the VISMU test.
Factor analysis of the test items. At the next stage, we carried out a factor analysis to select the items with the maximum factor load. An analysis of the eigenvalues for the items allowed us to identify three factors. A er the rectangular Varimax rotation, we selected the items with the maximum factor loads. At this stage, we analyzed all the test items and excluded those with unsatisfactory psychometric characteristics. e selected factors accounted for 75.6% of the variance. e items obtained as a result of factorization formed a version of the VISMU test, which measured the three scales: CA, AS, and VI.
CA was formed by statements about the highly subjective signi cance of social media, which is o en even more signi cant for users than the real world. is factor served as a content-related con rmation of the conceptual model. AS included variables demonstrating the level of changes in the user's behavior or opinion under the in uence of the norms accepted in virtual communities. e set of items (variables) of this factor corresponded to the hypothetical scale.
VI described attitudes towards social media presentation and included characteristics linked with the ability to more atteringly present one's physical characteristics and personality traits, as well as the bene ts and opportunities of online communication.
Further, we identi ed the test items with the maximum factor load (no less than 0.4). e items obtained during the factor analysis formed the basis of the original version of the VISMU test; during the repeated factorization, we obtained a reproducible structure. en, this test version was presented to a sample of 285 people simultaneously with the original version. e results were above the critical values (Table 1). We found that all the selected items made the largest contributions to the corresponding factors and the smallest contributions to the other factors ( Table 2). In this regard, we justi ed the optimality of the selected 3-factor model. Face and content validity. At the next stage, we determined the face validity of the test to assess the degree of understanding of the test content by people who did not know about the social networks where our study was performed. ey took part in the assessment of the face validity evaluating the items according to the criteria of "speci city,, "literacy, " and "understandability. " To measure the concordance of expert opinions, we calculated Kendall's concordance coe cients was presented in Table 3 for the three scales. As a result of analyzing the expert opinions, we reformulated six test items marked as insu ciently speci c or understandable.
Further, we determined the content validity to highlight the representativeness of the content of the test items. To do this, the VISMU test was evaluated by experts to determine its compliance with the subject of our diagnostics -the structural components of the virtual identity of social media users. ree experts participated in the evaluation: one PhD in psychology, one PhD in pedagogy, and a practicing psychologist. e experts were experienced in theoretical and empirical research and practical work on virtualization and the impact of the Internet on personal development. Based on the expert assessments, we adjusted ve items in the test which were not formulated speci cally enough and were not su ciently substantial. us, we selected and adjusted 43 items of the VISMU test, or 42% of the initial 103 items.
At subsequent stages, we determined the reliability, homogeneity, discriminatory power, and criterion and construct validity, and performed standardization and speci cation.
To determine the main psychometric characteristics of the test, the respondents were tested using the nal version of the VISMU test, the modi ed Kuhn-McPartland test, Young's "Internet addiction" test (adapted by Loskutova), a short version of Sheinov's questionnaire "Smartphone Addiction Scale, " Bass and Darka's questionnaire for studying the level of aggressiveness (adapted by Khvanov, Zaitsev, and Kuznetsova), and Rylskaya's "Human vitality" test. To determine criterion validity, we carried out a content analysis of the pages of users from an additional sample (N = 30).
Reliability, homogeneity, and discriminatory power. To determine the test's reliability as an indicator of its stability concerning measurement errors, we calculated Cronbach's α for its nal version. To identify the test's internal homogeneity, we split the scales into two parts. en, we calculated the Spearman-Brown coe cient. We determined the discriminatory power as the ability of the test to di erentiate the subjects from the minimum to the maximum result by calculating Ferguson's σ. e results showed satisfactory indicators of the internal consistency, homogeneity, and discriminatory power of the VISMU test (Table 4). Further, we determined the coe cients of the correlation between the test scales, presented in Table 5. We found that the structural components of virtual identity were moderately correlated with each other. e results allowed us to assume that the nature of virtual identity is integral, given a certain autonomy and qualitative uniqueness of its individual components. Test-retest reliability. We calculated the test-retest reliability to assess the stability of the VISMU test indicators during repeated measurements. To this end, we twice tested the participants of advanced training courses of the State Budgetary Institution of Additional Professional Education Chelyabinsk Institute of Professional Development and Retraining of Educators (N = 92) using the VISMU test. e interval between the tests was three weeks. e correlation indicators between the results of the rst and second tests demonstrated high test-retest reliability, which indicated the stability of the VISMU test as to time and, consequently, the stability of the virtual identity of social media users over time ( Table 6). Criterion validity. is type of validity is based on comparing test indicators with data obtained on the basis of objective (external) criteria using the extreme group approach. Based on the theoretical analysis, such criteria can be the success in adult life -namely, personal and professional self-determination, creating a family, and performing pro-social activities (Ananiev, 2001). ese tasks can be carried out when performing such social roles as citizen, family member, or professional (Rylskaya, 2013). For the formation and harmonious development of a mature personality in the real world, it is necessary to successfully solve the main life tasks of this period in life. Successfully solved age-related tasks are correlated with weakly expressed virtual identity. Low success rates in solving the main life tasks of the period of maturity (lack of a family, a permanent place of work, a tendency to addictive behavior) are associated with dissatisfaction with life in the real world. ese characteristics lead to a pronounced virtual identity.
As a result, two samples were formed based on the content analysis of the pages of the social media users, which took note of their personal semantic units (the content of the pro le, topics of posts, content of visual and textual information) and universal semantic units (having a family, having a job, the presence of obscene language, demonstrating deviant and aggressive behavior). e rst group (N = 5) included subjects who currently had no families or job, showed signs of alcoholism, or used obscene language. e second group (N = 15) included subjects who created families, had a profession, and showed no signs of obscene language, deviant, or aggressive behavior. As a result of applying the Mann-Whitney U criterion, we obtained statistically signi cant di erences between the two groups of respondents in terms of the integral indicator of virtual identity (U = 33, p < 0.01), as well as in all scales, in particular, CA (U = 34 , p < 0.01), AS (U = 39, p < 0.01), and VI (U = 36, p < 0.01).
Accordingly, those users who were assigned to the group with high rates of success in adult life were found to have the lowest rates of virtual identity in general as well as on individual scales, which signi cantly di ered from the group with low rates of success in adult life. Users who were assigned to the group with high rates of success in adult life were less prone to Internet addiction, more critical of the speci c norms of the subculture of social network users, and less prone to idealization of their virtual image.
e Contextual (concept) validity of the test was based on a factor analysis of the results of the modi ed Kuhn-McPartland's test, with the subsequent calculation of correlations with the scales of the VISMU test. is method highlights the substantive features of the identity revealed through the use of the respondents' answers to the question "Who am I?" through self-descriptions of the personality. Accordingly, the modi cation of the "Who am I online?" method assumes the respondents' answer to the corresponding question regarding the virtual environment. e primary processing of the Kuhn-McPartland's test included the conversion of qualitative data represented by identi cation characteristics into quantitative indicators by the coding data. e factor analysis of the results of the PCA (principal component analysis) followed by Varimax rotation allowed us to identify the factor structure correlated with the previously identi ed structure of the virtual identity of social media users. e rst factor included self-descriptions related to the speci c features of their social media activities ("user"), which were o en aimless ("gamer, " "music addict") and re ected the high importance of social media for them ("writer, " "reader"). is factor also included self-descriptions of emotional states arising from these activities ("cheerful, " "joyful, " "inspired, " "delighted"). Notably, positive emotions arising from social media activities can reinforce the tendencies toward cyberaddiction described within the factor structure of the virtual identity of social media users. is factor is called Virtual Activity and is correlated with the CA factor. e second factor involved self-descriptions re ecting the norms accepted in the virtual space of social media: an aggressive style of behavior ("harsh, " "evil"), a tendency to conceal information about oneself and hide behind the associated anonymity ("deceptive, " "opposite"), and the desire to attract attention and openness in communication ("demonstrative, " "critic"). is factor was called "Norms of behavior in social media" and correlates with the AS factor. e next factor described the speci c features of the user's self-presentation on social media. is factor included a self-description of the virtual image ("user picture, " "depicted") at the level of physical ("fashionable, " "beautiful") and psychological properties ("sociable, " "active, " "open-minded"). is factor included idealized selfdescriptions ("ideal, " "bright"). e factor included self-descriptions demonstrating the particular features of the sphere of communication and interaction with people ("sociable, " "friend, " "open-minded"), as well as the ratio of the real and virtual image ("real, " "as in life, " "true, " "di erent"). is factor was called "Virtual self-presentation" and correlated with the VI component.
Next, we calculated the correlations between the scales of the VISMU test and the components of the factor structure of the modi ed Kuhn-McPartland test ( Table 7). e correlation coe cients were found to be satisfactory, which indicated the optimal level of construct validity and simultaneously emphasized the uniqueness of the VISMU test. For convergent validity, the virtual identity of social media users diagnosed by the questionnaire should have positive correlations with Internet addiction, smartphone addiction (Luppicini, Alotaibi, 2021;Sheinov, 2020), and aggressiveness and hostility (Terizi, Chatzakou, Pitoura, Tsaparas, & Kourtellis, 2021), and negatively correlate with vitality (Rylskaya, 2016). To establish convergent validity, we used several psychodiagnostic techniques: to determine Internet addiction-Young's test "Internet addiction" (adapted by Loskutova); to identify smartphone addiction-a short version of Sheinov's questionnaire "Smartphone Addiction Scale"; to diagnose the level of aggressiveness and hostility-Bass and Darka's questionnaire for studying the level of aggressiveness (adapted by Khvanov, Zaitsev, and Kuznetsova); and to identify the level of vitality-Rylskaya's test "Human vitality. " e results of the correlation analysis are presented in Table 8. e results demonstrated the presence of signi cant positive correlations between virtual identity and its components with Internet addiction, smartphone addiction, aggressiveness, and hostility, as well as signi cant negative correlations of virtual identity and its components with vitality, which indicates that the test has su cient convergent validity. e test was standardized using a sample of 495 people, including 231 men (46.7%) and 264 women (53.3%) age 18 to 57 (X = 34, 96, SD = 10.35). e sample included students from secondary and higher educational institutions, teaching sta (educators and heads of preschool educational institutions, teachers and headmasters, lecturers of secondary and higher educational institutions), representatives of business (individual entrepreneurs), service professions (cleaners, storekeepers, drivers), and the unemployed. In this regard, we can consider this sample to be representative. e check of the distribution type of the test scores (Kolmogorov-Smirnov's d test) according to the nal VISMU test version showed that the empirical distributions for the indicator had a normal form (p>0.05). e results obtained using a Student's t test allowed us to assert that women and men do not di er in their degree of expressing their virtual identity. erefore, to standardize the results and build norms, we did not take gender into account. However, we found age di erences for some components of virtual identity, namely, according to the CA and VI scales.
At ages under 35 years, the indicators of cyberaddiction (t = 2.534; p = 0.05) and virtual image (t = 2.642; p = 0.05) were signi cantly higher. Age di erences in the degree of expressing virtual identity were apparently linked with the fact that these resources are more actively used by young people, for whom social media is more referential. We divided the sample into two subgroups: younger and older than 35, because, аccording to Strauss and Howe's generational theory (Howe & Strauss, 1991), people under 35 (representatives of generations Y and Z) are most susceptible to the in uence of digitalization, since their socialization from an early age was connected with the spread of the Internet. During the standardization procedure, we calculated mean values and standard deviations for the virtual identity of social media users and each of their components (Table 9). ey were converted to a standard 10-point sten scale (Table 10). e number of points scored according to the integrated index from 1 to 3 corresponded to a low level of virtual identity, from 4 to 7 to a medium level, and from 8 to 10 to a high level. e levels of manifestation for the components of virtual identity were determined similarly.
Processing of the results. To calculate points for each of the scales and the integrated index, scores from 1 to 5 were assigned to the answers to the test items according to the Likert scale (from 1 = strongly disagree to 5 = strongly agree). e indicators were summed for each scale and the integrated index of virtual identity. e Appendix contains the instructions, stimulus material, the answer sheet, and the key for processing the results.

Discussion
e design of the VISMU test assumed the construction of a conceptual model of the structure of virtual identity which included three components: Cyberaddiction (CA), Acceptance of Subculture (AS), and Virtual Image (VI). Based on the empirical data and using factor analysis, we showed that distinguishing the corresponding scales in the VISMU test is justi ed.
When checking face and content validity, based on the results of the expert assessment (non-professional and professional experts), we adjusted some items, which allowed us to increase the degree of their content-richness and speci city.
When determining criterion validity, a comparison of the extreme groups according to the criterion of success in adult life showed statistically signi cant di erences in the parameter of the extent of virtual identity (U = 33, p < 0.01).
When justifying construct validity, we faced di culties connected with the insufcient development of the concept of the "virtual identity of social media users" in the literature, on the one hand, and in choosing diagnostic tools to measure the indicators with which the components of virtual identity could be correlated, on the other. When analyzing the diagnostic tools, it seemed to be most appropriate to use the modi ed Kuhn-McPartland test, as it allowed us to diagnose the features of virtual identity based on personality self-description. e structure revealed on the basis of the factor analysis was correlated with the factor structure of the VISMU test. ese correlations between the scales of the developed test and the components of the factor structure of the modi ed Kuhn-McPartland test were satisfactory (r = 0.431-0.524), which indicates the construct validity of the VISMU test.
When checking convergent validity, we relied on the conceptual model of virtual identity, according to which there are positive connections between virtual identity and its components with Internet addiction (r = 0.312-0.759), smartphone addiction (r = 0.303-0.71), aggressiveness (r = 0.115-0.52) and hostility (r = 0.141-0.465), and negative connections with vitality (r = -0.291--0.685). e correlations indicated the convergent validity of the test. e standardization of the VISMU test involved the calculation of the mean values and standard deviations for virtual identity and each of its components. e data were converted into a standard 10-point sten scale. When analyzing the data, we found no signi cant di erences for gender; however, there were di erences for age. At ages under 35 years, the components CA and VI were signi cantly higher, which was taken into account to standardize the VISMU test.
When developing the test speci cation, we described the interpretation of the test results in general, as well as for the scales separately using three indicators: high, medium, and low. e VISMU test enriches the range of diagnostic tools that can be used in theoretical and applied research on personal development in the digital world. e VIS-MU test can be used in practical psychology when organizing preventive work on the problems of Internet addiction, and reducing the negative impact of virtual content on personal development in representatives of all age groups.
At the same time, we note that in our study, cyberaddiction acted as one of the components of virtual identity. is leads to the fact that the severity of virtual identity acquires a negative meaning, is associated with cyber-aggression, and the low ability for self-control and low vitality. Meanwhile, studies on the social identity of the individual (in its organizational, ethnic, civil, and universal aspects) indicate the inconsistency of this phenomenon, and its multidirectional in uence on the individual and social interaction. In this regard, it seems appropriate to consider not only the severity, or strength of identi cation, but also its valency, that is, an individual's assessment of his belonging to a social category.
We believe that in future studies, clari cations are needed which take into account the motives for users to access social networks, as well as the nature of personal requests, personal expectations, and subjective preferences in network interaction. We also suggest that the analysis of the identi ed phenomenon will be more meaningful if, with the help of cluster analysis, various types of virtual identity are distinguished, di ering in the degree of expression of its three indicators.
In the future, we plan to continue work on checking the test validity (construct, competitive, and environmental), and study the social desirability of the respondents' answers. Another promising area of study is the speci cs of the virtual identity of users of di erent social media, including those which are currently gaining popularity (for example, Tik-Tok). We also plan to study the connections between virtual identity and the personal characteristics of social media users, and regional and national characteristics.
Turning to the limitations, further plans, and prospects of the study, we note the importance of expanding the standardization sample of the test to clarify the levels of virtual identity severity. We also note the need for a more even distribution of respondents according to the qualitative characteristics inherent in the general population.

Conclusion
We developed the VISMU test and analyzed its psychometric characteristics. e use of the test revealed the extent of the structural and content components of the virtual identity of social media users. Distinguishing the indicators of virtual identity during diagnostic procedures will reveal the presence of virtual identity in the personality structure, determine its components, and reveal their in uence on personal development.
High scores on the VISMU test were connected with the signi cance of the virtual space for the user, spending time on social media aimlessly, a high degree of acceptance of the norms of social media users' subculture, and the creation of an idealized virtual image. Users with high levels of virtual identity were Internet-addicted, prone to smartphone addiction, aggressive, and less active. eir expressed virtual identity performed a compensatory function for activity in real life. e theoretical basis of the test was a conceptual model of the virtual identity of social media users based on an analysis of domestic and foreign sources on this problem. We proved that it is optimal to identify the CA, AS, and VI scales in the VISMU test. ese scales were characterized by satisfactory indicators of face and content validity, internal consistency, homogeneity, and discriminatory power, as well as test-retest reliability, and meet the norms of criterion and construct validity. e VISMU test is a standardized psycho-diagnostic tool. Within the development of the test speci cation, we described a detailed interpretation of the results.

Limitations
We note the importance of using more precise constructs in assessing the criterion validity of the VISMU test. e sample of the test standardization could also be extended to specify the manifestation levels of the indicators of the social media users' virtual identity. e sample of the test standardization could also be extended to specify the levels of manifestation of the integral indicator of virtual identity and its three components A more detailed interpretation of the scales of the VISMU test is also needed. ese issues will be studied in our future research.

Ethics statement
All the participants gave informed consent to participate in the research, which included background on the research, the option to refuse the procedure if they were not interested, and age requirements (over 18).

Author Contributions
D.P. and E.R. proposed a research idea. D.P. and E.R. analyzed the literature on the research problem. D.P. carried out the experimental procedure, and E.R. monitored the results of the work. Both the authors discussed the results and contributed to the nal manuscript. 18 Я часто посещаю профили незнакомых людей в социальных сетях.

Test speci cation
When developing the speci cations for the VISMU test, we de ned the levels of virtual identity and its components. Interpretation and detailed description of di erent levels of the scales were based on content analysis of pro les of social network users with di erent kinds of virtual identity. When conducting a content analysis, we relied on an assessment of the speci c content of the pro le, and the features of the topics of the submitted posts, as well as the content of the graphic (photos) and text (signatures, comments) information. CA scale. A high level (8-10 points) indicated an uncontrollable desire to use social media daily, generally without pursuing speci c goals. We also observed a loss of interest in the real world combined with the increased importance of the virtual space of social media. ere was a loss of control over the amount of time spent on social media, and a constant desire to use gadgets (smartphones, tablets, or computers). ere was a desire to cover a wide range of life events on social media in a wide and detailed manner. e nature of users' time spent on the Internet was aimless, and they had di culty interacting with the real world. ey experienced a change in mood depending on the possibility of using social media, a lack of critical attitudes to materials posted on social media, and the negative consequences of excessive spending time online.
A medium level (4-7 points) indicated the daily use of social media for a wide range of uses from communication to information searches. We observed the active use of the possibilities of social media, and users emphasized their advantages. Despite a signi cant amount of time spent on social media, control and criticality were preserved.
A low level (1-3 points) re ected purposeful, controlled, and non-systematic use of social media for speci c tasks: informal or business communication, viewing news, etc. We observed selectivity in posting materials (pictures, videos, etc.) on social media. e advantages of real communication were emphasized. A selective attitude towards information posted on social media was noted. AS scale. A high level (8-10 points) was characterized by the user's expressed approval of the norms of the subculture of social media users in a wide range of situations. A low level of criticality combined with a fear of possible virtual sanctions was typical. e nature of Internet activities, as well as the user's opinions, judgments, and perceptions, changed under the in uence of these norms. In particular, users approved of otherwise unacceptable communication styles (use of foul language, rude and cynical expressions, cyberbullying); anonymity was acceptable (concealment or indication of false personal information); the use of written colloquial speech (characterized by tolerance to grammatical and punctuation errors) was allowed; and the possibilities of remote communication (with representatives of other cities, regions, countries) were used.
A medium level (4-7 points) re ected a partial acceptance of the norms of the users' subculture mediated by the tasks of social media, and the speci cs of a particular situation. e attitude towards these norms could change depending on the virtual sanctions imposed by reference users. e approval of some norms of the subculture and the rejection of other norms could be combined.
A low level (1-3 points) was characterized by a critical assessment of the norms of the subculture of social media users based on compliance with the individual's value attitudes. e absence of a fear of virtual sanctions and a low dependence on the opinions and judgments of other social media users were typical. We observed independence in decision-making and defending one's own opinion in the virtual space of social media. VI scale. A high level (8-10 points) re ected the creation of an idealized self-image in the virtual space of social media, re ecting a complex of ideas about the user's desired physical appearance and preferred psychological properties, through which the user enters into vir-tual communication. We observed digital enhancement before publishing pictures on social media and a critical attitude towards the shortcomings of people's appearances as presented in the virtual space. e exaggeration of professional achievements, exaggerated demonstration of success and status in social media, and the creation of a virtual reputation were evident. In the case of signi cant discrepancies between the real and the virtual image, feelings of guilt might arise.
A medium level (4-7 points) was characterized by the creation of a virtual self-image reecting a complex of physical and psychological personal properties partially corresponding to the real self-image. We observed the embellishment or concealment of some components of the created image for a more attering self-presentation and e ective communication on social media. e user emphasized the advantages of an easy transformation of the virtual image depending on the goals of using social media and also noted some possibilities for its idealization.
A low level (1-3 points) indicated the creation of a self-image in the virtual space of social media re ecting a complex of physical and psychological properties highly correlated (at the level of the capabilities of the social media interface) with the properties of the real selfimage. We observed authenticity and stability in the user's virtual image re ecting the genuine, unique, factual aspects of their real image (including ascriptive characteristics). Internet activities were carried out in the rst person. Integrated index. A high level (8-10 points) indicated the importance of social media for the user. We observed an increase in the value of online friends and building of virtual communication with a simultaneous decrease in the value of real communication. ere was a lack of purpose for using social media. Reference users' assessments on the individual's values were important. Signi cant changes in the behavior or opinion, depending on the norms adopted in virtual communities, were evident. Manifestations of aggressiveness, including cyberbullying, were possible due to distorting or concealing personal data. We found attitudes towards a more e ective presentation of physical characteristics and personal properties in social media underlying the creation of a virtual image aimed at demonstrating success and achievements on social media and creating a special virtual reputation. Playing alternative roles in the virtual space was possible. We observed the aimless use of time on social media and idealization in the creation of a virtual image, which performed a compensatory function.
A medium level (4-7 points) was characterized by the systematic use of social media, not limited to virtual communication. Although the time spent online was signi cant, the user showed criticality toward the negative consequences of excessive immersion in virtual space. Depending on the goals of using social media, the attitude towards the speci c norms of the subculture adopted by the virtual communities changed. When creating a virtual image, both properties corresponding to the real self-image and idealized properties aimed at a more attering self-presentation were demonstrated, which was determined both by the goals of using social media and the speci cs of a particular situation. Although there were online friends and virtual communication, real interactions were still valuable to the user.
A low level (1-3 points) re ected the purposeful and conscious use of social media: communication, information search, and self-presentation. We observed a combination of a critical attitude towards the information posted on social media and the opportunities provided by them. e technologically determined limitation of the virtual space of communication was realized, which indicates more signi cance for real communication. e attitude towards the norms of the subculture of social media users was based on compliance with the individual's values. e created virtual image generally re ected the user's real self and was stable. We observed the purposeful use of social media and the creation of an authentic image.